Process of packaging wire



R. S. CADY PROCESS OF PACKAGING WIRE Filed Feb. 27, 1963 IJ T .lllLlPllllllll l r l I l l lllF rL United States Patent 3,168,259 PROCESS OF PACKAGING WIRE Robert S. Cady, Watertown, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 261,348 3 Claims. (Cl. 24283) This invention is an improved process of packaging wire in coil form.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved process of packaging wire coil form from a supply coil which has a mean diameter different from that desired in the finished package.

In the final drawing operation of wire, it usually comes off the drawing block in coil form where the size of the coil is limited to about 200300 pounds in a case where the mean diameter would be about 24" and with the individual coils each being of about the same diameter and laid at random positions in the supply coil.

The user of such wire often desires much greater continuous lengths than can be supplied directly from the drawing block, and it is the purpose of this invention to convert the original smaller coils into a continuous length in one single coil package weighing approximately 4000 pounds. In such cases, it is obviously desirable to have the coil package of larger mean diameter than that of the supply coil.

More particularly, the primary object of the invention is to devise a process of packaging wire in the manner above stated which will require only a very simple and economical apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purpose of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. While the specific embodiment shown in the drawing deals with a coil package of larger mean diameter than the supply coil, the invention, in some of its aspects, is also applicable to making a coil package of smaller diameter than the supply coil. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section through the supply coil and package, indicating one simple form of apparatus useful in the process;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

The supply coil C is shown suspend-ed on its vertical axis by means of a conventional form of collapsible spider having four legs 6, hinged to a top head 7 at points 8 and connected by links 9 to a lower head 10. When the hook 11 is released from pin 12, the top head 7 can be moved to the bottom head to collapse the spider so that the hook ends 13 on the links will be disengaged from the coil C. Of course, the reverse operation will be to engage the book ends under the coil. The pin 12 is on an upwardly extending eye member 14, and the spider, with its load, can be easily handled from a cable 15 having on its end a hook 16.

In my invention, there is interposed between the hook 16 and the cable 15, a ball thrust bearing 17 so that the coil is mounted in such a way that it can rotate rather freely. In addition, however, to the small amount of friction in the bearing 17, I may provide a brake to increase or control the frictional resistance to rotation of the coil C. For this purpose, I have indicated a simple form of brake having a brake shoe 18 hearing against a disc 19 on the hook 16-the brake shoe being controlled by a lever 20 which can be adjusted by a thumb screw 21.

By this simple spider apparatus which is conventional except for the thrust bearing and the braking device, the supply coil as it comes from the final drawing block can 3,lfi8,259 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 be suspended for rotation under a predetermined or controlled friction about a vertical axis.

The receiving spool 23 can be also of conventional esign having a platform 22 and four vertical bars or pipes 23a connected together at their upper ends at 24.

Now assuming that a supply coil is in the position as indicated, the leading end of wire from the top of coil may be directed against the platform 22 around the spool 23, then the coil can be started to rotate by applying suitable force by hand. In the illustration, the direction of such initial rotation is in the clockwise direction as viewed from the top. The weight of that portion of the wire between the supply coil and package, which is here indicated at W, will have a horizontal component acting to continue rotation of the coil C and its associated spider. The speed of rotation will be more or less automatically governed by the rate at which the Wire falls away from the coil C. It can also be regulated by means of a simple brake if desired. The rotation of the supply coil is in the direction opposite that of the coil winding of the finished package or of the supply coil. In a typical example where the mean diameter of the coil package is 30", and that of the supply package 24", there would be needed five convolutions of the supply coil for each four convolutions of the coil package. Thus, one complete rotation of the supply coil in the illustration is needed for every four turns of wire around the receiving spool.

If it is desired to make a coil package of smaller diameter than the supply coil, the rotation of the supply coil will be in the same direction as the coil winding, in which case, motive power may be applied from a suitable source, as by a belt operating a pulley on the shank of the hook 16 at about the location of the brake drum 18, and the brake will not be necessary.

It will be understood that the individual convolutions of the finished coil package will fall at random with an inner surface bearing against one of the uprights 23 as indicated at 25 in FIG. 3. In which case, the opposite portion of the coil will lie toward the outer part of the package. Other turns of the coil will contact one or another of the uprights 23 of the receiving spool while still others will lie in between these extremes as depicted roughly in FIG. 3. Incidentally, this will be the same manner in which the turns of the supply coil will be viewed. Thus, in the case of either the supply coil or the finished package, the diameter of each individual coil convolution will be substantially the same as the mean diameter of its coil.

The process preferably involves the confining of the outward play of the coil in a concentric space around the receiving spool so as to produce a neat cylindrical package. This can be accomplished by a sheet metal housing preferably consisting of two halves 26 and 27 attached to standards 28 and 29, respectively, supported on suitable plates 30. Thus, if desired, the finished coil package can be lifted by a fork truck after the housing parts 26 and 27 are moved away. Preferably, there is an opening as shown at 31 in FIG. 2, between the two parts of the housing so that an operator can manipulate the final end of one supply coil to weld it to the leading end of a following supply coil until the desired weight of wire is provided in the fiinshed package.

What I claim is:

l. The process of packaging wire by converting a wire supply coil of relatively small mean diameter into a coil package of substantially larger mean diameter consisting of (a) suspending the supply coil with its axis vertical so that it can rotate about its vertical axis under predetermined friction;

' 3 (b) initially directing the leading end of the supply coil around a receiving spool on which the package is to be formed, said receiving spool being located below and in vertical alignment with the supply coil; 7 Q causing initial rotation of said supply coil about its vertical axis in the direction opposite to that of the coil winding; whereby that portion of the wire between the supply coil and the receiving spool will assume an angle to the vertical so that the weight of said portion of wire exerts a continuing rotating force on'the supply coil in the same direction as its initial rotation to cause 1 said wire to fall automatically around'said receiving spool into continuous convolutions of the desired diameter larger than the mean diameter of the supply coil. 7 2. The process of packaging wire from a wire supply coil of relatively small mean diameter'in whicheach convolution of the coil is substantially the same as said mean diameter into a coil package of substantially larger mean diameter in which each convolution of the packaged coil is substantially the same diameter as said larger mean diameter, which process consists of (a) suspending the supplycoil with its axis vertical so that it can rotate about its vertical axis while applying .a controlled frictional resistance to such rotation; (b) initially directing the leading end of the supply coil around a receiving spoon on which the package is to be formed, said receiving spool being located below and in vertical alignment with the supply coil;

(c) causing initial rotation of said supply coil about its vertical axis in the direction opposite to that of the coil winding whereby that portion of the wire between the supply coil and the receiving spool will assume an angle to the vertical so that the weight of said portion of wire exerts a continuing rotating force on the supply coil in the same direction as its initial rotation to cause said wire to fall automatically around said receiving spool into continuous convolutions of the desired diameter larger-than the mean diameter of the supply coil.

3. The process of packaging wire as defined in claim 2 while confining the outer play of the coil as it drops around the receiving spool in a concentric space around said spool to produce a cylindrical package with the individual convolutions of the-coil package laying at random in such concentric space.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,929,493 3/60 Henning 24282 X 2,991,956 7/61 Bruestle 242---82 3,061,229 10/62 Cr'um 24283 FOREIGN PATENTS 880,501 10/61 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE PROCESS OF PACKAGING WIRE BY CONVERTING A WIRE SUPPLY COIL OF RELATIVELY SMALL MEAN DIAMETER INTO A COIL PACKAGE OF SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER MEAN DIAMETER CONSISTING OF (A) SUSPENDING THE SUPPLY COIL WITH ITS AXIS VERTICAL SO THAT IT CAN ROTATE ABOUT ITS VERTICAL AXIS UNDER PREDETERMINED FRICTION; (B) INITIALLY DIRECTING THE LEADING END OF THE SUPPLY COIL AROUND A RECEIVING SPOOL ON WHICH THE PACKAGE IS TO BE FORMED, SAID RECEIVING SPOOL BEING LOCATED BELOW AND IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE SUPPLY COIL; (C) CAUSING INITIAL ROTATION OF SAID SUPPLY COIL ABOUT ITS VERTICAL AXIS IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THE COIL WINDING; 